


Lapis Amnesia Warrior Slave

by wheel_pen



Series: Loose Gems [43]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29547543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheel_pen/pseuds/wheel_pen
Summary: Unfinished. Inspired by X-Men First Class, Charles Xavier is a slave named Lapis in a modern world, owned by wealthy couple Erik and Emma. Generally quiet, obedient, and responsible, he inexplicably displays a fierce fighting ability when one of the children is threatened.
Relationships: Emma Frost/Erik Lehnsherr, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Series: Loose Gems [43]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/251902
Kudos: 9





	Lapis Amnesia Warrior Slave

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing and appreciate the chance to play in this universe.

It was a cool spring day, and Hannah and her friends giggled as they walked along, trading stories about their day at school and plans for the weekend. She knew she was dawdling, and her parents had already told her to come home for supper, but she was having _fun_. Unlike what her parents seemed to think, that was no frivolous waste of time; she was certain that if she couldn’t be here with her friends, talking to them, they’d turn to talking _about_ her, in not-so-nice ways—or worse, they wouldn’t talk about her _at all_ , having entirely forgotten her. This wasn’t a weightless, empty pursuit; it was a struggle for _existence_.

Somehow her parents did not seem to understand this.

Anyway, they were getting _closer_ to the building where Hannah lived, as they crossed the street to pass in front of a construction site, the chaos largely concealed by a wooden fence. Close enough that when Hannah glanced up ahead, she recognized the person walked purposefully towards them, and disappointment soured her stomach.

“Isn’t that your slave?” Mia asked.

“Yes,” Hannah admitted with a sigh.

“Uh, what’s his name again?” Olivia wanted to know, even though she was perfectly well aware.

“Lapis,” Hannah answered anyway. The other girls giggled; they all thought he was cute, and older but not creepy-old, more like a high school boy. Hannah thought he was nice personality-wise but it was hard to have a crush on someone she’d seen kissing her dad. Too weird. He did look pretty nice in the motorcycle jacket her mom had bought him—it went well with the black leather of his slave collar. At least one of the girls was filming him with her cell phone, which Hannah rolled her eyes at.

Approaching a giggling group of teenage girls was a daunting prospect, but Lapis had little choice in the matter—his orders were clear. “Hello, Hannah,” he greeted, trying to be upbeat. His bright blue eyes glanced over the other girls, cataloging their faces—all of them he recognized, so that was good.

“Hi, Lapis.” Maybe he _wasn’t_ here to bring her home? Or could be talked out of it?

“Your mother sent me to get you,” he went on, apologetically.

Hannah’s pretty face started to screw up in a whine. “I’m on my way!” she insisted. They were still walking, they’d have to walk this way anyway.

“Well, I’ll just come with you,” Lapis told her cheerfully, like this was no big deal. He drifted quietly to the back of the group, subtly shepherding them along and inhibiting the conversation that had kept them distracted. “Good afternoon, miss. Hello, how are you? Cheers.”

Mostly they seemed to communicate by giggles and texting, along with the occasional know-it-all remark delivered in a sassy tone, like they were the first people in the world to discover sarcasm. It was kind of cute, and made him wonder (with a wince) if he’d been like that at their age. The years blended together for him, though, and he couldn’t help but think any sassiness would likely have been met by a smack to the face. With that in mind their behavior represented an innocent ideal to him.

But even free, wealthy girls faced trouble sometimes. “Oh, is that Jacob McNally?” one of the girls asked in dismay, looking at a group of boys approaching.

“Don’t look at them, just keep walking,” hissed another girl.

“Who’s this?” Lapis asked, feeling the tension rise. He was not much for fighting but he could talk his way out of situations pretty well, and automatically glanced around for open stores he could send the girls to if need be.

“Some boys from school,” Hannah told him, dropping back to be more at his side. Lapis was not exactly He-Man but maybe his being older would intimidate the boys. “They’re kind of bullies.”

“Don’t worry,” Lapis tried to reassure her. “Just keep walking.”

There were too many of them to escape notice, however. “Well, hey, cheerleaders,” the lead boy said, in what he obviously thought was a charming tone.

“We’re not cheerleaders,” one of the girls shot back, clearly thinking this was the ultimate comeback.

It was kind of like watching kittens fight, Lapis thought. Genuine anger but no clue how to express it. Which was probably for the best.

The boys fanned out to block the sidewalk. “Where are you going?” Jacob asked.

“None of your business,” snapped Mia. “Let us by!”

“I’ll let you buy, you can buy me a beer,” said one of the other boys, which got a big laugh from his friends and confused looks from the girls.

“Hey, there’s a party at Mike’s house Saturday night,” Jacob went on, ignoring the disinterested body language from the girls as they checked the street to see if it was safe to walk in. “You should all come. His parents will be gone.”

“No thanks!” denied Olivia.

“How about you, Hannah?” Jacob asked, turning his beady eyes on her.

“No thanks,” she replied, trying to sound firm, if not quite as flippant as Olivia.

Lapis decided that was his cue to intervene and shouldered his way to the front of the group. “Well, we’ve got to get going,” he announced, trying to move past the boys.

It might have worked, except for his collar. “Back off, slave,” Jacob ordered with disdain.

“Excuse me, we’re leaving now,” Lapis insisted, making a corridor for the girls to hurry past.

“You can’t talk to us that way,” said one of the boys, dangerously. They had been lightweight before, but now Lapis sensed they had a target they knew how to deal with—probably they bullied slaves at home, no matter what their age, and he wasn’t exactly intimidating physically. Well, better him than the girls. He glanced at Hannah to see how far away she’d gotten, and Jacob took the opportunity to shove him hard against the fence.

“What are you interfering for?” Jacob demanded. “We just want to talk to the girls, that’s all.”

“Lapis, come on,” Hannah urged, and he swallowed his anger like a proper slave should, turning to follow his mistress.

“Hey, we didn’t say you could go,” one of the boys snapped, grabbing Lapis’s arm.

Lapis made eye contact with Hannah. “Go home,” he told her calmly. This was going to be painful and she didn’t need to see it. Though apparently she’d be able to watch it on YouTube later, as one of her friends was filming it with her phone. Which would actually be helpful if Erik wanted to sue anyone.

The first blow was a gut punch, followed by a knee to the face when Lapis doubled over. No finesse, no discipline, thank goodness. He could easily fake being more hurt than he really was and they’d give up, and in the meantime the girls could get away.

If they were smart enough to.

“Lapis!” Hannah’s voice was way too close and he forced his eyes open to see that she’d run back to him, which was completely not what should happen.

“Go!” he told her again, right before he was shoved to the ground and kicked painfully in the ribs. He was a slave, he wasn’t supposed to strike free people, self-defense being very hard to prove when it was their word against his; getting beat up was part of a slave’s lot and he understood that well enough. The best thing Hannah could do was get away, get home and tell Erik what was happening. Of course the boys would be long gone by the time Erik arrived, amateurs that they were.

“No, you stay here,” Jacob countered in a nasty tone, grabbing Hannah’s arm.

Lapis blinked, and then suddenly he was on his feet and the rest of the world seemed to be in slow motion. Neatly he slid his fingers under Jacob’s, dislodging them from Hannah’s arm and breaking a couple in the process (Jacob’s, not his own). Then he punched Jacob in the face, dropping the boy to the pavement like a sack of rocks.

One of Jacob’s friends reached for Lapis; immediately the slave knew just how to swing around, where to hit, twist, and kick to fell him, like he was working through the steps of a dance he’d practiced many times before. Another partner approached and Lapis ducked smoothly, then took him down as well, as if they’d coordinated the whole thing in advance. There was a certain satisfaction to it—not to causing pain, Lapis didn’t even think about that, but to performing the steps with grace and efficiency, seeing the clumsy blows before they were attempted and dodging them easily.

Then the music stopped, so to speak, and Lapis found himself standing on the sidewalk with several teenage boys groaning at his feet, and several teenage girls staring at him with wide eyes.

Oh s—t.

“Time to go home,” he told Hannah briskly, putting his arm around her gently but firmly, and hurrying her away from the scene. “Can you get home okay?” he prodded some of the lingering girls. “You should go, someone might’ve called the police—” That scattered them.

Lapis got Hannah around the corner and down the block, then slowed so he could wipe some blood from his face with his t-shirt. The adrenaline was fading from his body and he was getting shaky. “Are you okay?” he asked her.

She stared at him with apprehension. “Yeah. How did you do that?”

“I don’t know,” he confessed. He felt as if he’d dreamed it, but a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach said he hadn’t—that it had been all too real, this violent, frightening thing that had come from _him_. And now he was going to get into trouble for it. “We should go,” he urged, wanting to get off the street. He couldn’t get his nose to stop bleeding, though. “S—t.”

“Here, here, I’ve got some tissue,” Hannah said, digging a crumpled wad from her backpack.

“Thank you,” Lapis told her, pressing it under his nose.

“You saved us,” she blurted suddenly and he immediately started to shake his head.

“No, I just—”

“He grabbed my arm,” Hannah reminded him.

“Please, the next time someone tells you to run home, will you just do it?” Lapis requested, as politely as he could. He couldn’t help but think that if she had listened to him, those boys would still be walking, and he’d be a bloody heap on the sidewalk waiting for Erik for find him. And that would be… better? For his long-term health, yes.

“What are you going to tell Mom and Dad?” Hannah asked worriedly as they approached the apartment building. Lapis had no idea and just shook his head.

The doorman, Simon, smiled at them and opened the door, but swiftly frowned when he saw Lapis. “I have a nosebleed, sorry,” the slave apologized, eyes downcast.

“That’s some nosebleed,” Simon agreed dubiously. “You need help getting back upstairs?”

“I’m going to help him,” Hannah vowed, taking Lapis’s arm like he might faint dead away any moment.

He tried not to smile at this, though it made him feel good to know she was willing to help him. This was a kind family, and suddenly he was afraid of what this incident might bring down on them. “I think it’s almost stopped,” he judged of the nosebleed, checking the tissue.

Hannah guided him onto the elevator. They were not alone, and the other passengers glanced at him distastefully for the blood. Swiftly he dropped to his knees next to Hannah, hoping to be more easily overlooked. When the other passengers had departed he stood back up. “Oh, I should be carrying that for you,” he realized of the backpack.

Hannah did not seem concerned about this. “I don’t know what we’re going to tell Mom and Dad,” she repeated instead.

“Well, don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Lapis reassured her. “I’ll explain. Well, I guess you were late,” he amended, “but I really think they’ll forget about that soon.”

The elevator deposited them on their floor. “Well, I’m glad you did it,” Hannah told him stubbornly, “because those boys were trouble.” She paused by the door. “Do you think my dad will punish you?”

That was one of the many things Lapis was feeling almost panicky about, so he really didn’t want to speculate right now.

“I don’t think he should,” Hannah judged, with the ripe indignation of a young teenager, and Lapis had to smile a little.

“Come on, let’s go in,” he encouraged, unlocking the door for her. Erik and Emma had been waiting impatiently for Hannah to come home; Lapis just hoped they weren’t standing right by the door.

They parted ways as they entered, Hannah trying to sneak off to her room and Lapis doing the same down the slaves’ hallway. “Hannah!” he heard Emma call sharply, and winced on the girl’s behalf. “Just where have you been, young lady? You know you’re supposed to be home by—”

“What the h—l happened to you?” Erik demanded, popping out of his office unexpectedly, and Lapis spun away from him.

“Just a nosebleed, I’ll clean up—”

“A nosebleed?” Erik took his arm and Lapis froze, now afraid he wouldn’t be able to control his reactions. What if he hurt someone in the family? Erik also went still when he felt him tense up. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said gently, turning the slave around. “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to see—” He took one look at Lapis’s face and his jaw tightened. “Just a nosebleed, huh?” Erik marched the slave into his office under the strong light near his drafting table. “A nosebleed from someone’s fist in your face, maybe. Hannah!”

Lapis stayed put as Erik went back into the hall, ice clenching his stomach. “Where’s Hannah?” Erik was asking someone. “Is she alright?” Feeling suddenly woozy Lapis sank to the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees. “Lapis got hit in the face or something, did she say—”

Emma strode into the office, her icily beautiful face registering concern when she saw the slave huddled on the floor. “I’m—I’m sorry, I’ll clean up—” he tried pathetically. He _knew_ they weren’t concerned about that, but a lifetime of conditioning was hard to shake.

“Don’t worry about that now, sugar,” Emma told him, kneeling on the floor in her perfect white slacks. She tilted his head up to the light. “What happened?”

“There were some boys,” he attempted to explain. He could hear Erik and Hannah talking down the hall but couldn’t make out the words. “Jacob McNally, from Hannah’s school.” Emma logged the name with cold precision. “They were bothering Hannah and her friends. I told the girls to leave but the boys saw I was a slave—”

Emma nodded crisply, thinking she knew the rest of the story. Attacking someone else’s slave was property damage, akin to bashing in the headlights of their car; something to be sued over, maybe even involve the police. Not that juvenile offenders would face much punishment for it. “Which of Hannah’s friends saw this?” Emma wanted to know, making her list of witnesses.

“Mia, Olivia, Sophia, Lily, Evelyn,” he recalled quickly. “But, Emma—” She paused expectantly. “Emma, I hit them back—”

“—ridiculous!” Erik proclaimed from the hall, stomping into the office.

“I’m not lying!” Hannah sobbed, and Emma gave her husband a _look_ for upsetting their daughter, before embracing her.

“It’s okay, sugar,” she soothed. “Are you alright? Did those boys hurt you?”

Erik saw Lapis on the floor and pulled him up, parking him on the couch instead. Lapis stayed limp and pliable, willing himself to remain harmless. “She said Lapis—”

“I hit them back,” Lapis repeated, adding to the chaos. “Erik, I hit them back—”

“What? Well, good,” Erik replied distractedly. “That’s fine, you were just defending yourself.”

“No, I was defending Hannah,” Lapis realized. That’s when it had kicked in. “He grabbed her arm—”

“Well, even better,” Erik responded, his attention on his wife and daughter. “Just—sweetie, we need to know what really happened, don’t exaggerate, okay?” This was directed at Hannah.

“I’m not exaggerating!” she insisted.

“No, Erik, I _really_ hit them—” Lapis did not know how to explain it, and thinking about it in detail made him feel sick.

Erik noticed him go pale and knelt down in front of him. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” he tried to tell the slave, brushing his hair back from his face. “I’ll get you some ice. Where else did they hit you?” His hands brushed over Lapis’s ribs. “Does it really hurt? Do you think anything’s broken?” Lapis shook his head, confident on this point at least.

The slave grabbed Erik’s arm to keep him in place. “Erik, I really hurt _them_ , I knocked them all—”

A phone beeped and Hannah made a noise of vindication. “Sophia filmed it!” she announced. “She just sent me the video.”

“It was recorded? Good, that will make things easier,” Emma noted.

Erik rubbed Lapis’s hand reassuringly, so confident but they just didn’t get it, and he pried himself loose to stand with the others to watch the video on Hannah’s phone.

“Who is that?” Emma wanted to know. “Is that Jacob McNally?”

“They’re just roaming the streets like some sort of gang—” Erik growled.

“Next time he tells you to _go_ , you _go_ ,” Emma ordered the girl fiercely.

Lapis heard the insults hurled on the video and felt his insides curl up tighter and tighter, dreading what was coming. The sickening sounds of himself being punched, Hannah coming back, and then—

“Holy s—t,” said Emma.

“What the f—k!” exclaimed Erik.

The video went silent. “I _told_ you I wasn’t exaggerating,” Hannah remarked triumphantly.

“No, you weren’t,” Erik replied flatly. “Send me that video.”

“We should send it to Azazel,” Emma advised. The family lawyer would no doubt have some very interesting ideas for its use.

“Yes, right away—” Erik looked over and saw Lapis back on the couch, shaking, his hands over his ears like he was trying to block out the whole world, and he went to him. “Lapis?”

“Is he okay, Mom?” Hannah asked tearfully. “He saved us, he shouldn’t get into trouble—”

Erik gestured for them to leave the office. “Let’s get the names written down of everyone involved,” Emma suggested, turning the girl towards the door. “You were right to tell us, it will be okay—”

“Lapis.” Erik took his hands gently and pried them away from his face. “What happened? How did you do that?”

“I don’t know!” the slave admitted tearfully. “Is there—there’s something _bad_ inside me, I’m dangerous—” He tried to back away from Erik, into the couch.

“Nonsense,” Erik countered firmly, not letting go of his hands. “Hush, there’s nothing bad about you, Schatzi.” He sounded so confident Lapis could almost believe it. “You were protecting Hannah, that’s what I _want_ you to do. Now where did you learn that?” he persisted. “Your last master? Before that?”

Lapis just kept shaking his head, tears spilling onto his jacket and the couch. “I don’t know, I don’t know!”

“Okay, okay, it’s alright.” Erik leaned closer to embrace him, taking the slave into his arms and rubbing soothing circles into his back. “Okay, just calm down. Deep breaths.” Normally the boy was so docile and gentle, it was shocking to see him behave not just violently, but with such obvious skill. He was certainly calmer on the video, in the midst of taking down multiple attackers, than he was _now_.

Erik moved to sit on the couch, pulling Lapis’s head into his lap and stroking his hair. “You’re not going to get in trouble,” Erik assured him. “I’m not mad at you. It’s clear those boys started it, and you were only defending yourself.”

“I was defending Hannah,” Lapis repeated numbly. “I couldn’t do anything, until he grabbed her arm. Then it just—it _happened_.”

“Well you must have learned it _somewhere_ ,” Erik reasoned, keeping his tone even. “I just want to know where. Why didn’t they mention it at the market? A slave with those skills would be worth a lot of money.” Maybe Lapis would relax a little, if Erik focused on a less personal aspect. “Maybe someone wasn’t _supposed_ to teach you?” he suggested when Lapis didn’t answer. “Schatzi, it’s really okay. But we need to know where you learned it, Azazel will ask, or the police—”

Mentioning the authorities did not help Lapis to calm down. “Erik—I really don’t know,” he tried to explain, attempting to sound rational despite the irrational situation. “I don’t remember ever being taught how to do— _that_.”

“You don’t remember,” Erik repeated flatly.

“No,” Lapis insisted. He wondered if Erik didn’t believe him, and that made him feel awful all over again. He pushed himself up so he could look the other man in the eye. “Erik, I swear, I don’t know where that came from. Who would—who would teach a slave to fight back?” It might have been useful at certain points in his life, a little _too_ useful from his masters’ perspectives, surely.

Erik sighed, rubbing the boy’s hand—the knuckles were slightly swollen from the fight. If Lapis was managing to lie to him then Erik’s entire sense of the world and his judgment of character was off. And Erik didn’t think it was. “How could you just _forget_ learning that, though, Schatzi?” he asked rhetorically. “Or make it up on the spot?” Lapis just shook his head, eyes down.

Emma strode back into the room, on the phone. “Azazel says to take pictures of his injuries as they develop,” she informed them, then walked out again.

“I was going to get you some ice,” Erik remembered, suddenly rather tired. “Come on, let’s go take pictures first. Then we are going to figure this out.”


End file.
